A/HRC/46/44 Tajikistan, the Regional Office has been providing ongoing technical support to the drafters of the anti-discrimination legislation. In October, the OHCHR presence in the Republic of Moldova conducted media training for media professionals and students of journalism of the Transnistria region and Gagauzia, including on the impact of COVID-19 on human rights. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued a statement on 7 August in which it noted that greater exposure to the virus is due to often inadequate or particular living conditions, limited or no access to clean water and sanitation facilities, or limited or no access to health care, medication, medical services, social security and social services, which could result in higher rates of infection and mortality. D. Emergency support and provision of services to minorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic OHCHR continued to support authorities and other relevant actors by issuing guidance and sharing promising practices on COVID-19 and the provision of services to minorities. In certain regions or countries, minorities are more likely to live in overcrowded housing, making physical distancing and self-isolation more challenging, and some live in conditions where there is inadequate access to water and sanitation. Members of minorities who live in poverty often are less able to cope with lockdowns, as they do not have cash savings or food stocks. Information on how to prevent and address COVID-19 and on the availability of health services and economic and social relief can be more difficult to access, as it is often not readily available in minority languages.16 The OHCHR office in Yemen has been monitoring the situation of the AlMuhamasheen minority in the context of the pandemic, who face harassment and have been accused of the spreading of COVID-19. Members of the Al-Muhamasheen minority have allegedly been subjected, during and before the pandemic, to discrimination and inequality, leading to denial of their human rights. In the Republic of Moldova, OHCHR created a task force on COVID-19 and human rights with 54 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including NGOs working on minority issues. The subgroup on minorities works to identify the main issues and challenges that minorities face, which include limited access or lack of access to information accessible in minority languages. Roma communities have been particularly affected in a number of areas, including their rights to education, work and social security. These findings contributed to shaping United Nations planning, programming and interventions in the context of COVID-19 in the country, which included the delivery of food packages, personal protective equipment and hygiene products to vulnerable Roma families. In Iraq, the UNAMI human rights office engaged with relevant partners, including NGOs and the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, to provide food for poor minority communities (especially Roma and Iraqis of African descent), whose livelihoods and access to basic services were particularly impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions. In September 2020, in order to make information more accessible to minorities, UNAMI, in collaboration with six NGOs working on minority rights, carried out an awareness-raising campaign, including through social media, in six minority languages, on how to prevent and address COVID-19. The OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia provided technical support in Kyrgyzstan, focusing on four areas where significant minority populations live in close quarters. The Regional Office co-chaired the meetings of the protection sector, providing input and technical support on protection of human rights, particularly in the context of the emergency response to COVID-19 and its impact on minorities and other vulnerable groups. OHCHR supported the translation of regulations. Furthermore, OHCHR supported national human rights institutions in carrying out monitoring, including through the provision of 16 6 See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Minorities/OHCHRGuidance_COVID19_Minorities Rights.pdf.